Turn with me to John chapter 8. We're going to look at the story of Abraham and Isaac on Mount Moriah in Genesis 22. That's the next story. And I don't believe I've ever preached this story. I've preached it many times. I don't believe I've ever preached it. without telling the story and then showing the picture and leading up to the end, which is Jehovah Jireh. That means the Lord will provide. But I'm not gonna do that today. I'm gonna start with Jehovah Jireh. I'm gonna give the punchline to the whole thing.

And I'm gonna go ahead and tell us all that the story of Abraham and Isaac on Mount Moriah is a spiritual picture. Every story in the Bible is a spiritual picture. The stories were not given for morality reasons. A lot of people like to take a story in the scripture and make a moral lesson out of it. That's not why they were given. Moral lessons are great. That's not why they were given. They are spiritual pictures. And the story of Abraham and Isaac going up Mount Moriah is a spiritual picture of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, accomplishing the work of salvation for his people. Because they couldn't do it for themselves. He had to do it for his people.

And as we read through the verses, which we'll do here in a minute, I want to immediately, I don't want to tell you the story and then come back and show the picture. We're going to immediately see Christ in the story. We're going to see this comparison picture of God, the father's dealings with God, the son, it's Abraham and Isaac, father and son. And we're going to see God, the father's dealings with God, the son. in the sacrifice of the cross of Calvary. We're just going straight to it. The sacrifice which God required as a sin offering for all of his elect souls, his elect people.

And those of you who know the story, if you don't know the story, we're about to read it. But for those of you who know it, I want to go ahead and announce that The picture, the spiritual picture changes the moment the ram is introduced. I'm just, I'm trying to just put all the cards out on the table. The ram, you know that there's a ram caught in a thicket.

That ram represents the Lord Jesus Christ. Isaac is the picture of Christ through the whole story. But then the ram becomes the picture of Christ to illustrate everything that story said up to that point. This is a story that is a spiritual picture and has an illustration of it attached to the end. So at that moment, Isaac becomes the picture of God's elect and the ram becomes the picture of Christ and it illustrates The substitution that God provided, Jehovah-Jireh. That means the Lord will provide, the Lord will see to it. And that's a picture of the substitution that God provided for the salvation of His people.

The account there in Genesis 22 was given to declare Jesus Christ crucified. Now look with me at John 8 verse 32. Our Lord said, and you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. Our Lord told some religious Pharisees right here If you ever come to know the truth, the truth shall make you free.

In verse 33, they answered him, we be Abraham's seed. Abraham, you know, God made a promise to Abraham, a seed. He was going to bless this seed and, and they said, we're, we're Abraham's. seed, and were never in bondage to any man. How sayest thou, you shall be made free? We're Abraham's seed. We're a sure thing, which is what most people think. Oh, I'm a sure thing. No, no problems here. You can go find somebody else who's lost. Not me.

What do you mean we're in bondage? This is America. What do you mean we're in bondage? Verse 34, the Lord said, you're in bondage to sin. Jesus answered them, verily, verily, I say unto you, whosoever committed sin is the servant of sin. And he went on down and told them, you're in bondage to Satan. You're in bondage to your own false religion.

And he ultimately said, if the truth ever makes you free, you will do what your father Abraham did. And what was that? What did Abraham do? We'll look at verse 56, John eight, verse 56. He said, your father, Abraham rejoiced to see my day. And he saw it and was glad. He said, if God ever sets you free, you will see Christ. If God ever sets you free, you will see Christ. You will no longer see man. That's what people see in religion.

That's what people should go into any house of religion and listen for this. Listen for this. You'll hear something along the lines of, this is what you did and you shouldn't have done it. This is what you're not doing and you ought to be doing. This is, you know, this law, that law, this is what we're going to do, what we need to do, what we plan to do.

Man, man, man. You know, the question out there is what does God think of man? We know what God thinks of man. Only evil continually. Sin. Okay, man, man, man, man. Our Lord said, if God ever reveals the truth to you, you will no longer see man. When it comes to the issue of life and the issue of salvation and God's satisfaction, you'll no longer see man, you'll no longer see the law. Are we against the law? No, we just covered that. You'll no longer see works. What must I do to be saved? You won't see religion. You won't see religion. You won't. You just won't.

And the reason why is because your sight will be consumed with seeing Christ. That's what we see in the story of Genesis 22. We see Christ in it. That's what Abraham ended up seeing in it. He saw Christ in it. He saw the cross of Christ in it. He rejoiced and was glad in seeing the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. And before we turn over there, I want to show you something that's amazing. This is just a side note. I think this is just a bonus, okay? I think you'll enjoy it. I enjoyed it. I'd never realized this. Turn over to Mark 15.

The temple in Jerusalem was the house of sacrifice, that's where they sacrificed. It was the place that God showed what he demanded for redemption from sin, and that was death in blood. God said the death and blood of a lamb. And some of our kids have been studying the tabernacle in their classes and that tabernacle moved with God's people until he settled them and a temple was built. But there was a temple there in Jerusalem and then you had Golgotha's Hill, that's the place where our Lord was crucified. And that was just over the wall of Jerusalem, the scripture said, without the camp, about 450 yards from the temple. All right, that's about how far it was, 450 yards from the temple.

Mark 15, verse 37 says, and Jesus cried with a loud voice and gave up the ghost. And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. When he died, when he cried, it is finished, that's what that signified. That's what that opening of the veil signified. It is finished. The payment has now truly been made. The ransom is paid in full. God is satisfied. God's people are welcome into the Holy of Holies.

The death of our Lord Jesus Christ, it took place right there at the temple, where the temple was, all right? That's what I'm showing you. Right there at the heart of the issue, right there where the altar was, that's where he was crucified. Right there where the mercy seat was, literally, right there at the temple. All right, now where was the temple?

Turn over to 2 Chronicles 3. 2 Chronicles 3. The heading at the top of my page says, The Temple Begun. 2 Chronicles 3. Verse one says, then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord, the temple, in Jerusalem, in Mount Moriah. That's where he built it. That's where the temple was.

Mount Moriah, where the Lord appeared unto David, his father. Many, many things happened right there in the place that David had prepared in the threshing floor of Ornan, the Jebusite. So the city of Jerusalem, it has, and again, this is a side note, but it has mountains that surround it, they connect it. You have Mount Zion, Mount Moriah, Mount Olivet, the Mount of Olives, and some other ones. And the temple where all those sacrifices were made, sacrifice after sacrifice after sacrifice, it was on Mount Moriah.

The very spot where God told Abraham to take Isaac. The very spot. This account, here's the point, this account was given on purpose to declare Jesus Christ and Him crucified. All right, now go with me to Genesis 22. Abraham spiritually represents God the Father. Isaac spiritually at this moment represents God the Son. Verse one, and it came to pass after these things that God did tempt Abraham and said unto him, Abraham, and he said, behold, here I am.

And he said, take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains, which I will tell thee of." In order for God's people to be saved, God the Father had to take His Son, the Son of God, His only Son, the only begotten of the Father, whom he loved, the father said, this is my beloved son in whom I'm well pleased.

And God the father had to offer him as a burnt sacrifice sin offering, enduring the fire of God's judgment for the sin of his people. Isaiah 53 says, the Lord, the father laid on him Christ the iniquity. It pleased the Lord, it pleased the Father to bruise him, Christ the Son. It pleased the Father to bruise him on Mount Calvary, Golgotha's Hill, right there at the holy temple of his justice.

Verse three, and Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and claimed the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up and went unto the place of which God had told him. Abraham did all that. Abraham rose up, Abraham claimed the wood. The father was the one who made all the preparations in this. Everything was foreordained. Everything was predestinated before the foundation of the world. Verse four.

Then on the third day, Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place afar off. The third day. Our Lord was three days in offering himself in this sacrifice. Verse five, and Abraham said unto his young men, abide ye here with the ass and I and the lad will go yonder and worship and come again to you.

This transaction was between the father and the son alone. No other man was there. No other man was involved. It was a holy transaction of worship. He said, we're going to go worship. Worship in the Spirit. Without the Spirit, there is no true worship. That's the case every time we gather together. That's the case right now in this room. If God's Spirit does not come to us, we will be going through motions without worship. The number one thing we need is for God's Holy Spirit to descend, to bless, To speak, that's what we need. Without the Spirit, there's no worship. In John 4, our Lord said, God is a spirit and they that worship him must worship in spirit and in truth. God the Father and God the Son entered into this transaction in the worship of God the Spirit. Verse 5.

And Abraham said unto his young men, abide ye here with the ass and I and the lad will go yonder and worship and come again to you. And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it upon Isaac, his son. Many people associate that wood with the wooden cross that our Lord had to carry and that can be associated with it. But that wood was what fueled the fire. That wood is our sin that was laid on Him.

One of these days, I would love to truly get a hold of the fact that God the Father took all of my sin and laid it on His Son. I would love to get a hold of that. I've yet to truly get a hold of that. One of these days I would love to really enter into the fact that all those things that haunt me, all those things I wish would go away, all those things that I wish could just be buried six feet under, God the Father took them and laid them on his son.

Laid them on his son. All of that sin was laid on him. Verse 6, and Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it upon Isaac his son, and he took the fire in his hand and a knife, and they went both of them together. God the Son held the sin in this transaction of Calvary. God the Son held the sin. God the Father held the judgment and the condemnation for that sin. God the Father held the punishment for all that sin.

Now listen to verse seven. This is the sweetest moment in the whole account to me. Listen to this conversation between God, the son and God, the father, verse seven. And Isaac spake unto Abraham, his father, and said, my father. And he said, here am I, my son. And he said, behold the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burn offering? Father, if God is going to be satisfied, there must be a lamb. Innocence must take the place of guilt in order for God to be satisfied. Where will that come from? How can sinful, guilty man be just with God?

And with that awe-filled question being asked, listen to this sweet, glorious gospel response. Verse 8, And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering. That is the gospel. That is the gospel. That is the glorious news declaration of the gospel. God will provide.

You don't need to worry about providing. You know, that's the question. What must I do to be saved? What do I need to do to be? You don't need to worry about providing. God will provide. God will provide for himself what he requires. There's so much rest in the gospel. There's just so much rest in the gospel. God will provide for himself what he requires. God will provide for himself what he needs to be satisfied. And God will provide himself to be the supplier of that. God will provide himself a lamb and God will provide himself to be the lamb.

Verse eight, and Abraham said, my son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering. So they went both of them together and they came to the place which God had told him of and Abraham built an altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar upon the wood.

The historians say Depending on how you interpret certain dates in the scripture, they say that Isaac at this moment in time would have been somewhere between his late 20s and his late 30s in age. Late 20s and late 30s. I figured we could just average all that and say he was 33 and a half. And this man, Isaac, in his prime, offered no resistance to his 133 year old father.

He didn't fight him, he didn't run away, he willingly crawled up on top of that altar and laid down his life. As our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ did for us, this is what he said, no man takes my life from me. I lay it down of myself. He said, for this cause came I into the world.

Even though he was equal with God the Father and God the Spirit, he willingly made himself of no reputation and took upon him, he took upon himself the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of man and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Verse 9 says, And they came to the place which God had told him of, and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And Abraham stretched forth his hand and took the knife to slay his son. And this is where the picture changes. Abraham represents the law and judgment of God. And Isaac now represents God's sinful people who are condemned to death under the law and judgment of God. Verse 10, and Abraham stretched forth his hand and took the knife to slay his son. And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven and said, Abraham, Abraham.

And he said, here am I. And he said, lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto him, for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, from me. And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns, a male sheep caught in a crown of thorns. That's Christ. That crown of thorns that our Lord wore, that represents the painful sting of all the sins of his people. His people are his body. All the sins of his people that were pressed into him who is their head. We're the body, he's the head. And he was the substitute and he bore the pain, he bore the sting.

Verse 13, and Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. In the stead. Thank God Christ was offered up in the stead of his people.

Verse 14, and Abraham called the name of that place, that place, that law, the law and justice of God called the name of that place. And again, where was that place? Calvary. He called it Jehovah-Jireh. The Lord will see to it. The Lord will provide. As it is said to this day in the Mount of the Lord, it shall be seen.

Now in that ram, Abraham killed Isaac. And in Christ, God killed his sinful, Death-deserving people, you know, people ask all the time, they say, why me? You know, why would God spare me? He didn't. He killed you. You were owed death, He gave you death. Why would He sweep my sins under the rug? He didn't. He poured out all the fire and fury of heaven on you in Christ. in Christ and he killed his people. Why did Christ die? That's what had to happen to God's people. The wages of sin is death. And he killed his people in the Lord Jesus Christ. It was not just as if we died. We died. in him. Justice was absolutely served in him.

And to prove that, let me close with Hebrews 11. Go over to Hebrews 11. Hebrews 11 verse 17. By faith Abraham when he was tried offered up Isaac and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son of whom it was said that in Isaac shall thy seed be called accounting that God was able to raise him up even from the dead from whence also he received him in a figure. That right there does not say he almost offered up Isaac. It doesn't say that.

That says he did it. in that ram. This is why in Christ is so important. In Christ, justice and judgment was truly served to us. We received our due reward. We received the punishment that was owed to us, but it's over. It's over. It's finished. God is satisfied. We're saved. In Christ our Lamb, we live. That's what Abraham saw. And that's what all of God's people see. In Christ our Lamb, we live. Amen.